HMCS LONG BRANCH (K487)

The History of the LONG BRANCH

Named for a village absorbed by Toronto, she was originally laid down as HMS Candytuft but was transferred to the RCN and commissioned on the Clyde on January 5, 1944. In April, following a month's workups at Tobermory, Long Branch joined EG C-5 at Londonderry, and sailed to pick up her maiden convoy, ONS.233. She developed mechanical defects on the crossing and was under repair at St. John's for sic weeks. She left St. John's June 14 to resume her duties, but returned from her next westbound convoy with the assistance of HM tug Tenacity. Repairs, she left St. John's a week later to join HXS.300, the largest convoy of the war, and continued as an ocean escort until her final departure from "Derry on January 27, 1945. Arriving at Halifax on February 11, she commenced a refit on completion of which, in April, she was assigned to Halifax Force for local duties. On June 17 she was paid off at Sorel for disposal. Sold for commercial use in 1947, she was renamed Rexton Kent II (later dropping the "II") and finally scuttled off the east coast in 1966.